Forever Whore
by harrys-girl-4-life
Summary: When Hermione Granger is bonded to Severus Snape as a result of the latest marriage law, how will the couple react? Will they find love? Or is she destined to be no more than an owned body...his forever whore?
1. Chapter 1

**Much shorter than my other one-shot, I know, but this idea popped into my head and wouldn't leave me alone!**

**I might continue it, if you all like it. :)**

**One-shot or chapter story? You decide, just leave me a review telling me if you want me to continue.**

**Love always,**

**harrys-girl-4-life**

* * *

><p>W. I. F. E.<p>

That must stand for 'Wow, I'm fucked, everyone.'

It least, for her, anyway.

After the defeat of Voldemort, the Ministry panicked.

They decided that the casualties were so great that they needed people to replentish the population, and they needed to do it now.

Their answer to that was, what else, a marriage law.

_'All eligible bachelors and bachlorettes shall be bonded at the soonest opportunity.'_

Brilliant.

Immediately, there was a flurry of weddings from those who were dating or engaged.

In fact, Harry and Ginny married a week after the law was passed.

Ron and Lavender followed two weeks after.

Hermione, however, had no one to marry.

She had no one who was even interested, so she calmly continued on with her life.

She hadn't taken them seriously enough, that was for sure.

Ministry officials came knocking at her door in mid-June.

_"Afternoon, Miss Granger. You are doing well, I trust?"_

_"I'm fine, thank you. Why are you here?"_

_She knew it sounded rude, but this man was making her nervous._

_Tall, tan, and muscular, but with very dark, unfeeling eyes._

_"I am here to inform you that you will be required to meet us, at the Ministry, at twelve noon tomorrow."_

_"Why, whatever for?"_

_"To meet your husband and be bonded, ma'am."_

_"Husband? Bonded? Tomorrow? Have you all gone mad?"_

_"He has already paid the fees that were due, for our services pairing and bonding you."_

_"Paid? Fees?"_

_"Yes, ma'am. We'll be requiring your presence at the ministry tomorrow."_

_"Tomorrow?"_

_"Tomorrow. I'm sorry, ma'am."_

_The look on his face told her that he clearly wasn't sorry at all._

_"Get the hell out of my house," she growled, whipping out her wand menacingly._

Her reputation as a brilliant, skilled, war hero preceded her, and he disapparated at once.

The next day she had arrived at the Ministry, only to be promptly escorted into a private room.

Two men stood before her.

One, a short, frail looking old wizard in bright gold robes.

The other a tall, strong looking man who appeared to be in his late thirties, possibly early forties.

She froze when she recognized the short, greasy hair and sharp, pointed features of Severus Snape.

Their eyes met and they studied each other.

He couldn't possibly be her chosen husband, could he?

Another glance around the room confirmed that yes, he must be.

She skimmed over his features as she noticed for the first time that his features were more chiseled, less sharp, and his hair was simply shiny and smooth, not greasy.

He was actually quite attractive.

Oh dear, the small room must be getting to her.

Claustrophobia, perhaps?

She could not have possibly just thought that Severus Snape was attractive.

She needed some fresh air.

His eyes roamed up and over Hermione's body before scanning her face and capturing her chocolate colored eyes with his own onyx orbs.

The corner of his mouth turned up as he smirked at her, then turned to the old man.

"She'll do nicely," he said quietly.

'_She'll do?'_

What was she, some whore to be paraded and sold?

_"He's already paid the fees..."_

Oh my God.

That's exactly what she was.

Someone for a man to have sex with, impregnate, and bear children, nothing more.

She was indignant, unwilling, furious, irate...

She had no choice in the matter whatsoever.

She slowly walked forward, features drawn tight over her guarded face, resigned to her fate.

"Let's get this over with, shall we?" She had growled at the old man.

Less than five minutes later, a pair of warm, soft lips had claimed hers and she was no longer free.

She belonged to him now.

They had come in as two people.

Ex-teacher, ex-student.

Ex-Death Eater, ex-Golden Girl.

Ex-Potions master, ex-school bookworm.

Ex-Slytherin, ex-Gryffindor.

They had left as one couple.

Husband and wife.

Never to be the same.

Never to be anything close to normal again.

A full year later, it still wasn't normal. It wasn'tanything like she thought that married life would be.

Severus Snape, he had been the king of Slytherin, very eligible bachelor.

Now he was a married man, expected to be warm and cuddly with a woman who he had no real affections for, only obligations.

Besides, Severus Snape was not warm and cuddly.

Hermione Granger was formerly the Golden Girl, beautiful bachelorette.

Now she was a married woman, expected to be a doting, obedient, submissive housewife to a man to whom she was little more than a five-cent whore.

Besides, Hermione Granger was never obedient and submissive.

The words 'I love you' were never spoken. No terms of endearment were ever employed. They were strictly Severus and Hermione.

Still, even though Hermione felt like little more than a whore, Severus never treated her as such. From their wedding night he was perfectly gentle and respectful. Caring, even. He was never rough or disrespectful, not even impolite.

Over their first year of marriage, they went from being strangers to being friends.

Friends who protected each other, cared for each other as friends do, but not lovers.

No, Severus and Hermione were not lovers.

Their life together was full of many things, but love was not one of them.

They didn't speak very much about personal things. She didnt catch him up on the latest gossip from Ginny, and he didn't tell her...well...much of anything.

They conversed instead of potions, dark magic, and children.

Severus hated teaching children, certainly, but Hermione knew that he'd had a rough childhood and an unloving father. Severus wanted children so that he could be everything that his father wasn't.

That was one of the few things that they agreed on. They both wanted children, and they wanted to be the most wonderful parents.

Only, Hermione was not pregnant.

So parenthood would have to wait.

They went to bed together every night, with only the thoughts of a child in mind.

Except, Hermione couldn't help but think that bringing a child into a loveless marriage might not be the healthiest environment.

That thought wasn't one she wanted to dwell on, so she pushed it to the back of her mind.

It wasn't like they despised each other, nothing like that, they simply didn't love each other.

Every night they would have sex.

It was satisfying.

Actually, it was quite good.

Unlike other couples, however, they didn't curl up together in the afterglow and sleep in each others arms.

No, Hermione would roll over onto her side and Severus would tuck his arms under his head. The only part of them that would remain touching would be her foot, hooked around his ankle.

She had been doing this since their wedding night. It was a comfort to her for some reason that even she didn't know. He seemed to understand, however, and never tried to dissuade her.

It was rather sweet, in a way, she supposed.

She was content in her life.

Not happy, but content.

That is, until she received a phone call.

_Ring! Ring!_

"I'll get it," Hermione said.

Her husband nodded, returning to his book.

"Hello?"

"Hermione?"

"Ginny?"

"Yes! Oh, Hermione, I have the best news ever!"

"What's that, Gin?"

"I'm pregnant! Oh, Hermione, isn't it wonderful?"

Hermione swallowed hard, her mouth suddenly dry.

"Of course it is, dear! Congratulations to you and Harry! I have to go, but let me know when the shower is! Goodbye."

She dropped the phone back onto the receiver with a click before walking into the bedroom.

Silently, she stood there, staring out the window, fighting back the wave of emotion that threatened to overcome her.

Soft footsteps were heard behind her behind her before a warm hand gripped her forearm.

She whirled around and stared at her husband.

"What's happened?"

She shook her head, swallowing hard before kissing him firmly and leading him to the bed.

He took the hint and before long, they were having sex, just like they did every night. Only tonight, it was driven by Hermione's jealousy of Ginny. With every passing moment she wished more and more for what Ginny had...a child.

When they had both been satisfied, Hermione rolled onto her side as always.

Even in bed with her husband, she couldn't help but feel small and alone.

Cared for but not loved.

She unhooked her foot from around Severus' ankle and drew her knees up to her chest as the tears began to run down her cheeks, dripping onto her pillow.

Severus propped himself up on one elbow and lightly rested his hand on her arm.

"What's wrong?"

She shook her head, sniffing lightly and swiping at her eyes.

"You're crying, and I know you don't cry over nothing. Hermione, what's wrong?"

"Ginny's pregnant," Hermione finally replied, her voice breaking. Severus tightened his grip on her arm. "She's pregnant, Severus. She's going to have a baby."

She finally broke down completely, burying her face in her hands as she cried aloud. Then news was painful to him, as well, but clearly not as emotional as it was for her.

"Shh..." he soothed her, gently pulling her into his arms and stroking her hair. Hermione was too upset to even notice this unusual act, and continued to sob into his chest. "We'll have a baby too, someday. It's just not our time yet, I suppose."

He kissed her forehead almost tenderly before turning off the lights with a flick of his wand.

"It'll be us, someday," he whispered to her as her sobs quieted. "I promise."

He knew that there was no guarantee that he could keep that promise, but it was what his wife needed to hear.

They lay there together until sleep finally claimed them.

The next morning, Hermione woke, surprised to find herself wrapped in her husbands arms.

Then she remembered what had happened and understood.

Ginny was having a baby, and Hermione was not.

Gently, she wiggled out of her husbands grasp and pulled on her robe and slipper before padding into the kitchen. She fought back her emotions as she prepared breakfast, trying not to think of Ginny and Harry or the baby.

"Alright there?" Asked a deep voice behind her.

"I'm fine, Severus, thank you."

He replied with a sharp nod.

She set the plates on the table and they sat down to their meal without another word.

Suddenly, a revelation struck her.

This man, sitting across the table from her, did not love her.

He had merely held her last night because it was the right thing to do.

Hermione was simply a marriage law bride.

They were married because they were required to be, and that was it.

They both wanted children, yes, but that's all this was.

A union for the sake of children.

_"She'll do nicely,"_he had said.

To him, she was just a convinient companion, someone to have sex with.

Someone to bear his children.

Little more than a five-cent whore.

She was married to him, but she didnt feel like a wife, a bride.

No, she was an owned body for sex and childbearing.

A body that had been purchased.

A body that couldn't not be taken away from him.

She was his forever whore.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter two! I've had so many of you ask me to continue this story, how could I possibly refuse? I absolutely love hearing from you, it makes my day. Please keep sending me reviews and ideas for things you would like to see happen in the story. Even if I don't use it here, there's a good chance I'll even make another story out of it. I'm still taking requests, if anybody wants to submit one!**

**Much love,**

**harrys-girl-4-life**

* * *

><p>Severus Snape was not happy.<p>

Content, yes, but not happy.

He wasn't exactly known for being happy, though, not since Lily's death.

After Lily, he swore he would never love another.

So far, he had kept that vow quite easily.

He was married, yes.

To a woman he loved, no.

They were married out of necessity, out of obligation, not out if love.

'_All eligible bachelors and bachlorettes shall be bonded at the soonest opportunity.'_

The Ministry had tried to pair him with that insufferable _cow_, Pansy Parkinson.

He laughed bitterly at the memory.

_"Over my dead body," _he thought.

He had written them back demanding another woman.

They had replied with a list of eligible bachlorettes.

Millicent Bulstrode.

_"Oh, hell no."_

Parvati Patil.

No, she was too...girly.

Hannah Abbot.

Hmm...no, the red hair would be too painful a reminder...oh, wait, her name was crossed out anyway.

A note in the margin declared her married to Neville Longbottom.

"_Longbottom, huh?"_

Padma Patil.

An ex-Ravenclaw, she would be good for intelligent conversation, but he wasn't taking any risks, what if she turned out to be like her sister?

Cho Chang.

_Much _too emotional.

Luna Lovegood.

He laughed aloud, the mere thought was absurd.

Hermione Granger.

The 'Golden Girl'?

"_Hmm..."_

She was caring, courageous, stubborn, attractive, highly intelligent, and not at all overly girly.

Yes, she would do nicely.

Severus told the old wizard just that, right before he married her.

So far, that had been the case.

She was a good cook, she kept things neat, and she was more than satisfactory in bed.

Together, they had adapted fairly quickly to married life.

It was odd at first, married to a former student, trying to remember to call each other by their first names, but they soon fell into a routine.

Every morning, she would get up before him and start the coffee pot.

Half an hour later he would drag himself to the kitchen table where they would exchange good mornings, she would hand him a mug of coffee and the Prophet, and she would read whatever book she happened to be working on.

Eventually, she would get up and clear away the plate of pastries and carafe of coffee, wash the dishes, and tidy the kitchen.

The owls would arrive around that time, and they would spent an hour or two reading and replying to their mail.

Hermione would then make lunch, then he would disappear into his Potions lab and she would tidy the flat, go shopping for whatever they were running out of, or read while keeping an eye on her knitting needles, clicking away.

Sometimes in the afternoon Lavender or Ron would Floo to talk to her for a while, or other times she would talk to her mother on the telephone, usually with her cat, Mittens, curled up in her lap.

He didn't understand why she loved cats so much, but after Crookshanks died, she had been very upset.

So upset, in fact, that he had allowed her to get a new cat, when she decided she wanted one.

She had come home with a bright smile on her face and a tiny, black kitten with white paws wrapped up in a blanket.

It made Hermione so happy, having a cat to cuddle with, that Severus simply couldn't refuse her.

He would never admit it, but he rather liked the cat, as long as it wasn't in his lab.

As the afternoon turned into evening, Hermione would always come to his lab and knock gently on the door.

She would always ask what he wanted for dinner.

He would always reply that he didnt care, as long as it tasted good.

While she prepared dinner, he would package his finished potions and send them off to St. Mungo's, who bought them for a good sum of money.

They would eat dinner in relative silence, sometimes discussing a more difficult potion that he was thinking of attempting.

She was very encouraging, and assured him that he could accomplish whatever he set out to do.

He would never admit it to her, but he appreciated that confidence.

Support was something that he never had much of growing up.

They would drink tea while they ate their dessert, and that was when they would really talk.

They would talk about Dark Magic.

She knew alot about it from reading books, and he knew from experience.

They would also talk about children.

As much as he hated teaching other peoples brats, Severus very much wanted children.

He had not been raised in a good home, and he wanted to bring children into the world that he could raise well, spoil to an extent, and yes, even love.

Severus knew that he would love his children.

He may not be able to love his wife, but he would love his children.

Hermione wanted children even more than he did.

He knew that she would be a very good mother.

After dinner, Ginny or Harry would always call to talk to either one of them for a while.

Then they would go to bed together, eventually falling asleep with her foot gently wrapped around his ankle.

He must admit, he had a good wife.

She was quiet, yet made interesting conversation when she needed to.

She was feminine without being ridiculously girly.

She was tidy without being anal.

She was respectful, but expected the same respect on return, which she deserved and he willingly gave.

She was gentle without walking on eggshells.

She was a caring and affectionate person, but she didn't love him.

Nor he her.

They respected each other, protected each other, they even enjoyed each others company.

They cared about each other, or at least, for each other.

They simply didn't love each other.

Severus would never admit it to himself or her, but he wanted to love her.

He wanted her to love him.

He simply wanted to be loved again.

He remembered how it had felt with Lily.

They had looked out for each other, talked for hours, helped each other whenever possible, respected each other, and they had loved each other.

It was not unlike his relationship with Hermione, only, he did not love her.

That, and he never lost his temper and called her a Mudblood.

That was what caused his Lily to stop loving him, even though he would never stop loving her.

He craved that love, wished desperately to be loved again.

He, however, did not love.

He didn't allow himself to love, out of fear that if he did, she would only be taken from him as Lily had so cruelly been.

He was married, but he did not love his wife.

And she did not love him.

That was just the way it was.

That was the way it would always be.

They lived in relative harmony, rarely arguing, mostly staying out of each others way.

She never disturbed him in his lab, except to ask him what he wanted for dinner.

He never disturbed her when she was on the phone, unless her cat had found it's was into his lab again, and he couldn't coax it out.

They led a quiet life, a peaceful life, which is what they both craved after then long years battling Voldemort.

They were content, but they were sure they couldn't possibly be happy.

Not while married to each other.

Happiness just wasn't a part of their loveless marriage.

Yet, they weren't unhappy, either.

They were content to remain exactly as they were.

Even though both craved a deeper relationship, they were convinced that it couldn't possibly be with each other, and they would dare admit it anyway.

Severus had a good life.

He had a sweet, caring, intelligent, lovely wife.

He didn't love his wife, but he did admire her good qualities.

He had a very nice flat in London, not more than a five minutes walk from anything.

He had a small group of friends...well, his wife's friends, really, but they tolerated him.

He had a very well paying job brewing potions for St. Mungo's.

All that were missing were children, but he kept telling himself that they couldn't possibly be that far off.

Yes, he had a very good life.

But he wasn't happy.

At least, he didn't think he was.

He couldn't possibly be.

Could he?


	3. Chapter 3

**Here we are, chapter 3! I am loving all the reviews that I'm getting, please keep them coming! They keep me motivated :) I literally giggled my way through the end of this chapter, I hope you do as well. Reviews, requests, anything you please!**

**I love you all!**

**harrys-girl-4-life**

* * *

><p><em>Ring! Ring!<em>

"I'll get it," Hermione said.

Severus nodded, returning to his book.

"Hello? ... Ginny? ... What's that, Gin?"

Severus looked up at his wife, she looked stricken.

She glanced at him before swallowing hard and continuing.

"Of course it is, dear! Congratulations to you and Harry! I have to go, but let me know when the shower is! Goodbye."

He looked at her, confused.

Congratulations?

Shower?

Had something good happened?

Were they expecting bad weather?

He certainly didn't know, and he hated not knowing things.

He watched as Hermione dazedly dropped the phone on the reciever, then turned and walked into their bedroom.

With a sigh, he closed his book with a snap and set it on it's shelf.

Flicking his wand at the lights to extinguish them, he silently entered the bedroom.

Hermione stood with her back to him, staring out the window.

He walked up behind her and laid a hand on her arm, causing her to whirl around and stare at him.

Her eyes were wide, almost panicked.

Something was wrong.

"Whats happened?" He asked her.

She shook her head violently before kissing him firmly, demandingly, almost desperately.

She was acting incredibly strange, but maybe this was what she needed right now.

He led her to the bed, slowly undressing the two of them as they continued kissing.

He laid her on the bed and proceeded to gently make love...no...have sex with her.

You only made love to someone you loved, and he did not love her.

He couldn't love her.

Although, sex didn't seem like the right word for what they did.

They were gentle, and they savored each moment.

Besides, sex seemed too crude a word to be used in context with the young, beautiful, sweet creature before him.

_"Oh my God."_

He seemed almost...fond of her.

He couldn't be, could he?

He took care of her, certainly, but being fond of someone implied love, and he did not love her.

He pleasured her as much as possible, and when they had both found their release, he rolled onto his back and tucked his arms behind his head.

He lay there, pondering their relationship.

Hermione was everything he could ever want in a woman.

Why didn't he love her?

He knew the answer.

He was too afraid.

He almost laughed aloud at the thought.

He, Severus Snape, afraid?

Yes, afraid of loving.

Loving and losing.

Just like Lily, all those years ago.

Did he want to love Hermione?

He supposed so.

Would he allow himself to?

Absolutely not.

Suddenly, he realized that something was missing.

Hermione's foot was no longer wrapped around his ankle.

He heard a soft sniff from her side of the bed and quickly propped himself up on one elbow, laying a hand on her arm.

"What's wrong?" He asked.

She shook her head and swiped at her eyes.

"You're crying, and I know you don't cry over nothing," he tried again.

This was true, she was not overly weepy, for which he was grateful.

"Hermione, what's wrong?" He asked, growing worried.

"Ginny's pregnant," she replied, finally.

His heart turned cold in his chest and he gripped her arm tightly.

Her friends were going to have a baby...and they weren't.

That explained the phonecall, the shock, and the sex.

He shut his mouth with a snap, he hadn't even realized that it had been hanging open.

He was happy for Harry and Ginny, of course, but he was also incredibly jealous.

"She's pregnant, Severus. She's going to have a baby."

She sounded like she was in shock.

She probably was, but he knew that she wanted a baby more than anything, and this was hard for her.

She finally broke down completely, burying her face in her hands and crying aloud.

This would be hard for both of them, but clearly more so for her.

The poor girl was obviously distressed, and he wished that there was something he could do to help.

He had a sudden flashback to his childhood, of him sobbing into his poor mother's chest after a rough argument with his father.

The realization triggered a surge of emotions that had him gathering hermione into his arms, surprising even himself.

"Shh..." he soothed her, stroking her hair gently, as his mother had so often done for him.

Hermione hardly seemed to notice his unusual act of compassion, and did nothing except curl into his embrace and sob harder into his chest.

"We'll have a baby too, someday. It's just not our time yet, I suppose."

He kissed her forehead sweetly, almost tenderly, before flipping off the lights.

"It'll be us one day, I promise."

He knew that was what she needed to hear, even if it wasn't guaranteed.

He lay there, thinking, as her hot tears dripped onto his bare torso.

He had come into this marriage barely knowing Hermione Granger, the 'Golden Girl'.

Over the course of one year, he could definitely say that he had gotten to know her.

She was loved by all, excluding him.

He was becoming increasingly...fond...of her, however.

This realization made him very uneasy.

The last person that he had become fond of had been Lily Evans, and he had fallen deeply and madly in love with her not long after that.

All too soon after that, she had been taken from him.

His growing fondness for the girl in his arms worried him greatly.

What if fondness became love once more?

He wasn't completely opposed to the idea of loving Hermione, she was a wonderful person.

No, he was afraid of falling in love, only to have his love ripped away from him once again.

He listened as Hermione's sobs calmed and her breathing evened out, indicating her descent into unconsciousness.

Love or no, they needed each other.

They needed each other for support and companionship, and they needed each other if they wanted to have children.

They were together out of necessity, but what if necessity became something more?

It scared him a great deal, but at the same time, it was something he craved.

To be loved by such an incredible woman would be, well...incredible.

He'd experienced that once before, and he would give anything to experience it again.

Her friend was having a baby, yes, but he was strangely content for the moment.

In fact, as he lay there with his young, beautiful wife in his arms, he was almost...happy.

It was very strange indeed.

* * *

><p>Severus awoke the next morning to light pouring through the curtains and the delicious smell of coffee.<p>

He realized that Hermione was no longer wrapped in his arms and rolled over to tell her good morning, before remembering that she always got up before him, that was why he smelled coffee.

He rubbed his eyes and dragged himself out of bed, pulling on some clothes before entering the kitchen.

Hermione stood with her back to him, pouring coffee into two mugs and arranging pastries on a plate.

He suddenly felt distinctly awkward about his actions last night.

It had been so out of character for him, and now he had absolutely no idea what to do.

He swallowed hard as he tried to think of something to say.

"Alright there?" He asked.

"_Wow. Brilliant. You're such an idiot, Sev."_

"I'm fine, Severus, thank you."

Her tone was thin and resigned, not strong and confident as usual.

.

He couldn't think of anything to say, so he replied with a sharp nod.

She set the plates on the table and they sat down to their meal without another word.

His mind was racing a thousand miles a minute, and he didn't know what to make of any of it.

He was feeling things for the woman in front of him.

He didn't know exactly what, but they were things that he had not felt in a very long time.

Only, he knew that she felt nothing for him.

That stung a little bit.

He didn't like this whole feelings thing one bit.

It was too...confusing, and he despised confusion.

He had to think of some way to talk to her, tell her what he was feeling.

"_Hermione, I know this is sudden, but I think I'm becoming rather fond of you. I think that maybe one day this could turn into love, and I just thought you should know, even though there's no way in hell that you would return these feelings."_

Yeah, so...maybe he didn't.

No, he didn't at all.

"Severus?" His wife's voice brought him back from his reverie. "Why are you staring at me?"

He blinked.

"What?" He asked.

"_Well done, Sev. You sound like an idiot."_

"You've been staring at me for at least five minutes, and you haven't even touched your coffee."

"Oh...I...er...sorry."

He mentally slapped himself.

Hermione's brow furrowed and she studied him like she would one of her books.

"Severus, is everything all right? You're acting...odd."

"I'm fine de...Hermione. Just fine."

"_Oh my God, you complete and utter prat. You almost called her dear!"_

She didn't look at all convinced.

"Are you sure?"

"Completely."

He grabbed his coffee mug and took a sip, looking anywhere but at the woman in front of him.

"_Aha!"_

The Daily Prophet lay next to his plate.

He grabbed it hastily and opened it, not caring what he was reading, as long as he didn't have to look at his wife any longer.

Hermione shot him a half-confused, half-amused glance before returning to her book.

Severus stared at ads for Weasley's Wizard Wheezes, not really seeing them, as his mind reeled with feelings that he had not felt since he was a teenager.

He glanced over at Hermione from behind his paper and she looked up, an amused smile playing at the corners of her mouth.

Their eyes met for a moment before he gulped and hid behind his paper again.

Never, in all of his days, had he ever felt so unbelievably awkward.


	4. Chapter 4

**Before you say anything, yes, I know it's been forever and a day since I last updated this. I'm sorry.**

**That aside...HELP! Please, I beseech you! I am entirely out of ideas for this story, so if you have any ideas, any ideas at all, please, please send them to me! This chapter is so incredibly filler-ish, I hate it. I'm dead serious, if I don't get any good ideas for this story, I'm going to delete all the chapters and just let it be a one-shot, like I originally intended.**

**So please, if you have ideas, don't hesitate to tell them to me!**

**I may hate this chapter, but I love you all. I'm sorry again that I'm such a terrible person and took forever to update this.**

**Oh, also, Hermione makes a couple of comments about homosexuals in her thoughts, later in this chapter. It's my horrible attempt at her somewhat ADD brain, no disrespect is intended, so please, don't take offense to anything. It's all in good fun, and I'm really hoping that it isn't the least bit offensive, I'm just really paranoid. Also, Severus and Hermione are pretty OOC, I think. That's just how it is, the end.**

**All right, I'll stop rambling now.**

**I really do love you all.**

**harrys-girl-4-life**

* * *

><p>Hermione tried her best to hide her smile as Severus hid behind the Prophet.<p>

He was acting incredibly strange this morning, and she was absolutely certain that it had everything to do with last night.

She could tell that his mind was racing, it was obvious once she noticed he hadn't turned a single page since opening the paper.

Last night had been interesting, to say the least.

Ginny and Harry were going to have a baby.

Severus had held her tightly all night long.

She really didn't know what to think about either.

She knew she should be happy and excited for her friends, and she was, but the news stung, all the same.

She also knew that any physical show of affection from Severus was rare, and that made things all the more confusing.

She supposed that he had probably only held her because it had been the right thing to do.

She had been nearly distraught, he had done the right thing by comforting her and holding her, and they just happened to fall asleep in the process.

Then again, Severus never did anything that he didn't feel like doing, that she had learned.

That bit of knowledge wasn't helping her one bit.

Also, if she wasn't mistaken, he had almost called her 'dear'.

He caught himself halfway through, certainly, but she was absolutely sure he had started to call her 'dear'.

Could it possibly be that Severus Snape was growing fond of her?

Of her, Hermione Granger, his marriage law bride?

_"Yeah, and Umbridge is a saint."_

Severus didn't grow fond of people, not even his wife.

Tolerant, certainly, but not fond.

That was just how things were, and how they always would be, so she might as well forget about it.

Besides, she really didn't know how she felt about any of it.

Glancing across the table, she saw her husband gazing blankly at his long-forgotten newspaper, which reminded her of her own book, still in her hand.

She'd read it four times before, and she really had no desire to read any more of it, but she had nothing better to do.

Nothing at all.

Her life was actually dreadfully boring these days, with nothing challenging to fix her brilliant mind on.

She almost missed the challenge that hunting Horcruxes had been.

But that was back before she was forced into a loveless marriage.

Now there was a man who expected her to cook his meals and clean his house, not go gallivanting around Britain in search of adventure.

Well, she didn't exactly want an adventure, but a change of scenery would be nice.

With a frustrated sigh, she snapped her book closed and left the room, her untouched mug of coffee still sitting on the table with the rest of the breakfast things.

She didn't care, though. She could always clean it up later.

After grabbing her clothes for the day, she locked herself in the bathroom and turned on the tap.

Hopefully, a hot bath would relax her and clear her head enough for her to think straight.

Hopefully.

* * *

><p>"Oh my goodness!" Hermione said in surprise, looking around her gleaming kitchen.<p>

Once her fingers had turned pruny, she had reluctantly hauled herself out of the bathtub, not at all less confused than she had previously been, and feeling decidedly more claustrophobic.

She had dressed with the intentions of cleaning up the dining room and kitchen, then heading out to the market to collect the various groceries that they were lacking.

Of course, they weren't actually lacking much of anything, but Hermione desperately wanted to get out of the house for the afternoon, and grocery shopping seemed like a good excuse to do so.

Much to her surprise, when she had exited the bathroom and walked into the dining room, she found everything cleaned up and put away.

When she entered the kitchen, she found her husband crouched on the floor, trying desperately to figure out how to start the dishwasher.

"Stupid Muggle contraption...how the hell does this thing work?" He muttered, trying many different combinations of buttons in his vain attempts to start the machine.

"Did you add the detergent?" Hermione asked softly, smiling down at him.

"Of course I added the bloody deterge...wait, what the hell is detergent?" Severus asked, not turning to look at her.

Hermione grabbed the bottle of dish detergent from under the sink and knelt next to her husband, opening the dishwasher door.

"This is detergent, it's what makes our dishes clean," she told him, handing him the bottle.

"How does it work?" He asked, trying to figure out how to open the bottle.

"Like this," she said, reaching over and flipping the top open for him, then gently guiding his hand to the spot in the door where the detergent was supposed to go. "You're only supposed to fill it to that line, otherwise it'll...well, I don't actually know what it'll do, but my mother always said it'd be bad."

Severus did as she instructed, then closed the bottle of detergent and flipped the little door to the soap compartment closed.

"That was always my favorite part, when I was a little girl. My mother always let me pour in the detergent," Hermione told him, smiling.

"That's...nice," Severus muttered, looking as if he didn't really know what the expected reaction to that statement was.

"Here," Hermione said, taking the detergent bottle from him. "Now just close the door, make sure it latches, and then start it."

"Well, clever Hermione, I thought you would gathered by now that I don't know how to start this bloody thing!" Severus said, sounding exasperated.

"Oh, er...right. How silly of me! Just push the 'custom cycle' button, then the start button. It saves my settings so I don't have to customize it every single time," she explained before he could open his mouth to ask how it knew what she wanted it to do.

"Right. Why do we have this infernal Muggle contraption?"

"Because I like it," Hermione explained simply, leaning back to put the bottle of dishwasher detergent away.

"So, we can't just wash the dishes by magic because you like this silly machine?"

"Precisely," she affirmed. When Severus continued to look confused, Hermione sighed, knowing more explanation was needed. "Alright, fine. When I was a little girl my mum and I would always load the dishwasher together. I loved it, because it made me feel so grown up and special, helping my mum with the dishes. Then we found out I was a witch and...well, life wasn't that simple anymore. I like the dishwasher because it reminds me of life before all of...this."

"Oh. I see," Severus replied awkwardly, not really knowing what else to say. He rose from his spot on the kitchen rug, turning his back completely to her as he tried to find something to do at the kitchen sink.

Hermione cleared her throat, searching for something to say in the awkward silence.

"Thank you for cleaning everything up, Severus. You didn't have to do all of that," she said softly.

"I know, but you seemed upset. I figured I'd make your day a little easier."

Hermione was more than a little surprised by her husband, she never would have expected him to be able to tell if she was upset or not. He was, however, surprising her a lot lately.

"Well thank you, that was very...sweet of you."

"It was no trouble," Severus assured her. It was then that she noticed the spot on his elbow, a grease spot, if she'd been made to guess.

"Severus, did you stick your elbow in the butter?" She asked, stepping closer to study the spot.

"I...er...not intentionally," he replied, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Then how?"

"I'm not very good at housekeeping type things."

"Oh dear...Severus, turn around."

"Oh, no need for that, I'm sure you could be...doing something else..."

"Severus, turn around and face me!"

Slowly, he did as she asked, shuffling his feet awkwardly as he did so.

Hermione had to hold back a laugh at the sight of him, her normally tidy husband was a right mess. While his dark grey trousers were relatively unscathed, his white button down shirt was definitely worse for wear.

"Oh my God, Severus. How on earth did you manage it?"

There was a large wet spot across the front of his shirt, various coffee stains, and other stains from their favorite raspberry jam scattered here and there. His sleeves were rolled up, but clearly coffee stained, and he had very obvious grease stains from the butter on both elbows.

"I...er...like I said, I'm horrid with housework," he replied, staring at the ground, color rising into his cheeks.

"The great Severus Snape can't move a coffeepot without bathing in it?" Hermione asked teasingly.

"Oh, like I've ever had to do housework before," he said defensively.

"It's no matter, I'm just teasing!" She assured him, now laughing a bit, despite her best efforts. "I must admit, however, you are a sight to behold."

"Oh, shut it," he mumbled, trying to be grumpy. His amused smirk gave him away, though, so Hermione knew she wasn't really annoying him.

Hermione grinned up at him, feeling a rare surge of affection for the man in front of her. Despite the mess he'd made of himself, the other mess that he'd cleaned up was greatly appreciated.

"I was going to go to the market today, would you like to come with me?" Hermione offered, still smiling at his soiled shirt.

A look of surprise flickered across Severus' face, not that Hermione could blame him.

She'd never asked him if he wanted to accompany her to the market before, and she wasn't exactly sure what had made her do it now, but she supposed it must have something to do with that rare surge of affection she'd felt a moment ago.

"The market? Why?" He asked uncertainly.

"Yes, the market," Hermione answered, fishing for an excuse as to why she had invited him to accompany her. "I figured that...well...you don't really leave the flat very often, so this would be a good way to get you out of the house. Besides, the market is full of food and you're a man. Men like food."

_"You. Are. An. Idiot."_

Severus studied her for a moment, then nodded.

"Yeah, alright. I reckon it would be nice to get out of the flat for a while. I'll accompany you, but you had better buy me something tasty for my efforts," he teased.

"Deal," she said, smiling up at him again before shooing him off to their bedroom. "Now go clean yourself up, you silly man! I won't be parading around a Muggle supermarket with my heavily coffee stained husband, you hear?"

"Of course, madam," he mocked, slouching off towards their bedroom.

It wasn't until he was safely inside their room that Hermione finally cracked. Unable to control it any longer, she collapsed against the cabinets, shaking with the force of her uncontrollable laughter.

* * *

><p>"No, that's the wrong kind of milk."<p>

"There are different kinds of milk?"

"Many! You need the green capped one."

"The what capped one?"

"Green! It says 'one percent milk' on the label?"

"Oh. Right."

Hermione was again holding back laughter, now at her husband's complete ignorance of anything grocery related.

The man just wasn't horrid at housework.

"Alright, we got milk. We need eggs, could you grab those please?"

"Are you quite sure I won't get the wrong kind?" Severus asked her sarcastically.

"Quite, as there's only one kind of egg here."

"But there are different package sizes!"

"Oh...the normal twelve pack, then."  
><em><br>"Men would all die if it weren't for women. All of them. Wait...maybe not the gay ones. They'd probably know how to cook. Would they know how to cook?"  
><em>  
>"Hermione?"<p>

"What? Sorry, I...er...lost my train of thought there for a moment."

"I asked what else you needed."

"Oh, quite a few things, now that I think of it."

Hermione had decided earlier that she would reward her husband, and herself by making them a special dinner tonight. She would make Severus' favorite, lasagna, then follow it up with a lovely dessert...that she hadn't decided on yet.

As she worked her way around the store, she waited for something to strike her fancy, but she remained uninterested. That is, until she passed a large display of raspberries, her favorite fruit.

She stopped in the middle on the aisle, looking off into space as she addressed her husband.

"Severus," she said, "you like raspberries, don't you?"

"Well, it's certainly my favorite jam."

"And you like chocolate, of course."

"Of course."

"Do you like cheesecake?"

"Um...maybe? I'm not exactly sure that I've had one before."

"You've not had a cheesecake? That settles it, then!"

"Settles what?"

Hermione didn't even hear his question as she looked through the containers of fresh raspberries, looking for the best ones. She found two containers that seemed acceptable, then placed them in her cart.

She then took off in search of a few bags of chocolate chips, a bottle of heavy cream, some graham cracker crumbs, some cream cheese, and a package of butter, along with some other things.

Severus trailed after her, not really knowing what to do or say, so he remained silent. He did, however, occasionally toss something in her cart, smirking when she didn't notice.

"That's it! We can check out now," Hermione announced, after what seemed like endless miles of trekking through the large store.

Severus grunted in reply, then followed her lead to the cash registers.

"You are going to love dessert tonight," Hermione informed him excitedly.

"I always love dessert, in case you hadn't noticed," Severus replied seriously.

Hermione nodded, she had indeed noticed that her husband had quite a sweet tooth, but she did as well, so she wouldn't fault him for it.

She began unloading the contents of her shopping cart onto the belt that carried the items to the cashier. Suddenly, she stopped, an item in her hand, and turned to her husband.

"Really?" She demanded, laughing. "Chocolate cake mix? Brownie mix? Vanilla icing and chocolate sprinkles...and peanut butter cup ice cream?"

Severus stared at the floor, shuffling his feet and holding his hands behind his back.

"I like sweets," he mumbled.

"And I'm fine with that, but this...this is what I get for bringing you to the store with me!" Hermione laughed even harder.

Severus scowled a little, he didn't quite like being the object of his wife's amusement.

After a moment, Hermione pulled herself together and finished unloading her cart, sweets and all. She grinned when she saw her husband scowling at his shoes, biting back more laughter.

"Do stop pouting, Severus. You can have all the sweets you want, just not in one sitting. I don't need you making yourself sick!"

"Yes, mum," he replied sarcastically, giving her a pointed look.

Hermione was surprised for a moment, but recovered quickly. She knew he hadn't meant anything by calling her 'mum', but it stung all the same, especially as she now looked at the empty child seat in their shopping cart.

Trying her best to shrug it off, she continued smiling and grabbed her handbag from the cart and paid for the groceries with the Muggle money that Severus was always telling her was practically worthless.

After she had paid and pushed the cart outside, she checked around them for Muggles. When she saw no one, she quickly pulled out her wand and waved it over their groceries, vanishing them all.

"I sent them home so we don't have to try to juggle all of those parcels, and try to apparate at the same time," she explained, before Severus could ask.

"I see. Shall we?" He asked, offering his arm.

"Certainly," she replied, taking it.

With that, he turned on the spot, and they were gone.

When they arrived at home, Severus was impressed to find all of their groceries on the dining room table.

"Very precise vanishing, I must say," he offered, grabbing a couple parcels and walking into the kitchen.

"Thank you, it took me a while to perfect," Hermione replied, grabbing a couple of bags and following him.

They chatted sporadically as they put away groceries, then Severus retreated to his potions lab, while Hermione began to work on their dessert.

She had decided to begin by making dessert first, because she was making a cheesecake, and it had to chill for a while before serving. Growing up, he favorite dessert had been her mother's raspberry chocolate ganache cheesecake, and that's what she had decided to make tonight.

Quickly, she rubbed butter in the inside of two round cake tins, then sprinkled Graham cracker crumbs in the butter to form the crust. She then whipped up her cheesecake filling and filled both cake tins, then set them to baking while she worked on the ganache.

She poured her semi-sweet chocolate chips into a bowl and gradually melted them and combined them with some heavy cream to make the rich chocolate ganache that she loved so much, then she poured in one container of raspberries.

Once the cheesecakes had come out of the oven and cooled for a bit, Hermione spread a generous layer of raspberry chocolate ganache on top of both cheesecakes, then put them both in the refrigerator. Later, once the ganache had set, she would stack the two thinner cheesecakes to make one nice, thick cheesecake, then she would top it with the rest of the raspberries.

Once she had finished with dessert, she quickly assembled her lasagna and put it in the oven, since it had to bake for over an hour.

It had been two o clock by the time she and Severus had gotten home from the market. It was now just after four, and by the time dinner was ready, it would be nearly six.

Hermione was already hungry, as she and Severus had somehow missed lunch, so she quickly spread butter and garlic on some French bread, then went to find something to distract herself with.

That proved to be rather difficult, as she'd read every book in the house at least three times already, her needles knitted themselves, and she had nothing new to say to her mother.

Instead, she flopped down on the couch and grabbed a ball of yarn, dangling it out for her cat to see.

Mittens meowed softly, then ran over to bat at the ball of yarn, which Hermione then threw across the room for him to chase.

For the next hour or so, Hermione played with her kitten and watched the telly, trying not to count the minutes until the oven timer finally buzzed.

It did eventually buzz, and she practically ran to the kitchen, grabbing her oven mitts and pulling the lasagna from the oven. She then tossed her garlic bread under the broiler for a few minutes and put the finishing touches on her cheesecake while the bread broiled.

"Severus, time for dinner!" She called, grabbing two plates and scooping hot lasagna onto them. She put them, along with the garlic bread, and a pitcher of iced tea, onto the table, then impatiently waited for her husband.

"Are you as hungry as I am?" She asked him once he surfaced.

"Merlin, yes," he replied, taking his seat and digging into his food. "This smells delicious."

"Thanks," she replied, smiling as she also tucked in.

They talked very little until just before dessert, when Hermione explained how this particular cheesecake that she had made had been her favorite dessert growing up.

She then put an enormous slice in front of her husband and happily took a bite of her own.

"Good Lord, Hermione. This is bloody fantastic!" Severus exclaimed, staring at her as if she'd just brewed the perfect potion.

Hermione was slightly surprised by his enthusiasm, but flattered nonetheless. She thanked him, and they continued to eat their dessert in relative silence as they both savored the rich flavors of the cake.

After they finished, Severus helped her clear up all the dishes and leftover food.

"Forget peanut butter cup ice cream," he said as he put the cheesecake in the refrigerator. "This is my new favorite dessert."

Hermione beamed, glad to have shared her favorite dessert with her husband.

"Thank you for a wonderful supper, and an incredible dessert, Hermione," Severus said, giving her an extrememly rare, genuine smile as they stood in the middle of their now clean kitchen.

"It was nothing," she replied, still smiling.

"Oh, it most definitely was something," he argued, planting a kiss on her lips and wrapping his arms around her waist.

"Mmm...you taste like chocolate and raspberries," Hermione declared.

"You do too," Severus replied, kissing her again, harder this time.

"Yummy."

"Indeed."

Severus kissed her all the way into their bedroom.


End file.
